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Oregon Province Practices Ensnared Gonzaga / Resignations Follow

Article in the Settle Times and Spokesman Review this morning re: the Oregon Province's practice of parking their predatory priests at Cardinal Bea House. . .

For more than three decades, Cardinal Bea House near Gonzaga’s campus served as a retirement repository for at least 20 Jesuit priests accused of sexual misconduct that predominantly took place in small, isolated Alaska Native villages and on Indian reservations across the Northwest, an investigation by the Northwest News Network and Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting has found.

Internal Jesuit correspondence shows a longstanding pattern of Jesuit officials in what was then the Oregon Province – an administrative area that included Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho and Alaska – privately acknowledging issues of inappropriate sexual behavior, but not releasing that information to the public, which avoided scandal and protected the perpetrators from prosecution.

When abuse was discovered, the priests would be reassigned, sometimes to another Native community.

Once the abusive priests reached retirement age, the Jesuits moved them to Cardinal Bea House near Gonzaga’s campus or another Jesuit residence to comfortably spend the rest of their lives in relative peace and safety. The university administration did not respond to requests for an interview.

Perhaps the most troubling revelations involve the Rev. Frank Case, a prominent Jesuit who is currently the vice president of Gonzaga and chaplain for the school’s nationally ranked men’s basketball team.

I write today in light of a recent investigative report entitled, "Sins of the Fathers." The account first focused on the horrifying, predatory sexual abuse of Alaska Native girls and women by James Poole, a Jesuit priest who worked at that time in Nome, Alaska; and then examined the ways in which the leadership of the Society of Jesus knowingly re-assigned men such as Poole – as well as numerous other men credibly accused of sexual abuse – to other locations within the Oregon Province, and sometimes to locations where they were againcredibly accused of abusing children, women and men, and vulnerable adults. Through her research, the reporter further found that many men who were accused of sexual abuse were in their later years assigned to the retirement facility and Infirmary for the Oregon Province, Cardinal Bea House, located just west of St. Aloysius Church.

Listening to this broadcast and reading these accounts is deeply disturbing and elicits for me feelings of sadness, disgust and betrayal that I know must be shared by all of you as well. I feel so much sadness and anger for the women, men and children who were victimized by Poole and others, and all those who have been sexually assaulted by ordained priests who abused their power and privilege. I, together with fellow colleagues and friends of the University, were deeply wounded by the revelations of the sexual abuse of children, men, and women by Jesuits of the Oregon Province that were at the heart of the Province bankruptcy (filed in 2009, with a settlement reached in March 2011).

Those wounds for me were re-opened this weekend, at the revelation that the Society of Jesus had knowingly sent a man with Poole's record of sexual abuse to live in their facility within the parameters of our campus – which serves not only as the home of college students, but regularly hosts grade-school children and visitors of all ages – without notification by the Province to the University. Cardinal Bea House is owned and operated by the Jesuits West Province (i.e., not Gonzaga University). It has served both as a center for formation of Jesuit novices and as a residence for retired Jesuits (until the present). The Province determines the assignment of its Jesuits to its communities, such as Cardinal Bea House.

It is important for me to share with you, that in the years following the 2011 Oregon Province bankruptcy, I learned that there had been priests under supervised "safety plans" living at the Jesuit retirement community (Bea House). It was not until 2016, when the Province chose to begin relocating a number of retired men to the Sacred Heart Community in Los Gatos, that I learned that among them were Jesuits who had been on safety plans (and were moved). The first notification I had that Fr. James Poole lived at Bea House was when the US Jesuits West list was released on December 7th, 2018; I did not know of Fr. Poole, or his history in Alaska, until the investigative report aired this past weekend. Following the lessons learned out of the bankruptcy, I had relied upon the Province to inform us of any Jesuit whose history might pose a threat to our students or campus community. I deeply regret that I was not informed of the presence of Fr. Poole, nor any other Jesuits who might pose such a danger, at Cardinal Bea House.

We are committed to being a community that strives to respect, protect and support every individual. As such, the safety of our students, staff and visitors to the Gonzaga campus is our top priority, and the University has zero tolerance for sexual misconduct of any form. Gonzaga has measures in place to allow for confidential reporting of misconduct to the proper authorities at www.gonzaga.edu/report. It is University policy to cooperate fully with any and all investigations of abuse and to take swift action when warranted.

Fully repairing the pain of abuse may never be possible, but we must be and remain committed to continuously love, support and care for those who have been victimized, and resolve to seek justice with and for them.

No chatter on this? I read the lengthy article in the Seattle Times today. It mentioned at least twice no one from Gonzaga was willing to make a comment. It's uncertain who knew what, but this has to be considered a tremendous black eye for the university.

Really bad look for the University and for the President. First things first though they need to get rid of Frank Case and keep him as far from the basketball program as humanly possible.

“(Poole) is a Jesuit priest in very good standing, and it is my strong expectation that he will serve in such a ministry in a manner that is both generous and effective,” Case wrote. Poole got the job, working at the hospital until 2003."

"One Alaska Native woman says he impregnated her when she was 16, then forced her to get an abortion and blame her father for raping her. Her father went to prison."

Case isn't at the end of the bench tonight. I think his time as a face of Gonzaga is over.

I don't want Case anywhere around the program ever again and quite honestly I don't want any other Priest sitting on the side of the bench with the team. I'm not even sure I want a nun associated with the basketball team because you can't have faith in any of them potentially damaging the basketball program, unfortunately. Sadly, EVERY SINGLE Priest on campus knew about these deviants and did nothing about it or worse enabled it. You want to see a Priest go to the Church but keep them away from Gonzaga and the basketball program unless they where street clothes. Just the way I feel after reading this last article.

Jesuit leaders promised Tuesday they will never again send a priest to live at Gonzaga University if they are aware of any “credible allegation” that the priest has sexually abused a minor.

The announcement from the Jesuits West Province followed a request for assurance by Gonzaga President Thayne McCulloh in the wake of a story about predator priests being sent to a retirement home on the school’s campus near downtown Spokane.

The last known abusive priest was moved out of Cardinal Bea House in 2016, Jesuit records show.

“Jesuits West guarantees that no Jesuit with a credible allegation of sexual abuse of a minor is currently or will ever be knowingly assigned to Gonzaga University or the Jesuit community on its campus, nor to any Jesuit work of the Province,” the province said in a statement Tuesday.

The tragedy was suffered by the victims......if there were thousands of priests around the world committing these monstrous crimes against defenseless children there must have been tens of thousands of priests who knew about it...including all of the hierarchy...

The tragedy was suffered by the victims......if there were thousands of priests around the world committing these monstrous crimes against defenseless children there must have been tens of thousands of priests who knew about it...including all of the hierarchy...

Personally, I'm having a lot of trouble getting my head around what the hell was/is going on with priests and why so many of them became pedophiles. What in the culture of the seminary or the life of a priest in a parish either attracted these men or turned them towards this evil?

As I noted in another thread, our parish priest was arrested last summer for soliciting a prostitute. Now, I understand that prostitution certainly isn't a victimless crime what with sex trafficking and all, but I must admit I understand why a man who has taken a vow of chastity might turn to a sex worker. But pedophilia and consumption of child pornagraphy! Surely a chaste life doesn't equal becoming a pedophile, does it?

I have no idea why this happened...but I suspect it has been going on worldwide for thousands of years and is not unique to the Catholic Church....but a product of other male cloistered circumstances …..

Perhaps some research has been done on the subject by cultural anthropologists …??? Human nature doesn't change rapidly if at all.... situational sexuality may be a product of availability....or lack thereof .........to be sure, I don't know...

I have no idea why this happened...but I suspect it has been going on worldwide for thousands of years and is not unique to the Catholic Church....but a product of other male cloistered circumstances …..

Perhaps some research has been done on the subject by cultural anthropologists …??? Human nature doesn't change rapidly if at all.... situational sexuality may be a product of availability....or lack thereof .........to be sure, I don't know...

Perhaps if the church would commission a study of what in the priestly life might be either attracting these men or even leading to these perverse urges, some small good might come out of this horror?

Perhaps if the church would commission a study of what in the priestly life might be either attracting these men or even leading to these perverse urges, some small good might come out of this horror?

I don't think they can get anywhere treating the symptoms ….they need to find and fix the cause(s) and not let political correctness prevent them from doing so...A Bishop in Los Angeles resigned this morning because of allegations of abusing a minor...

I don't think they can get anywhere treating the symptoms ….they need to find and fix the cause(s) and not let political correctness prevent them from doing so...A Bishop in Los Angeles resigned this morning because of allegations of abusing a minor...

And those allegations date back to 2005 under the previous Archbishop of LA, Cardinal Mahony. They came to light again when Archbishop Gomez asked the lay review commission to publish all credible accusations since 2004. This entire things has been heartbreaking, not only that the initial abuse occurred, but then, when it was brought to light, those who should have protected the victims instead protected the abusers.

Even worse, one of the ways they protected the abusers was by sending them off to places like rural Native Alaskan villages, where, if the abuse continued, the victims wouldn't have the power to do anything about it.

Frankly, I don’t believe the President of GU and his explanation lacks credibility. To believe it would mean to suspend reality. There were numerous new articles concerning the litigation over the Spokane Dioceses and the the attempt to reach Gonzaga University as an asset of the Oregon Province. To say he didn’t know there were 20 or more sexual abusers right under his nose stretches beyond belief. And if true, then it make you wonder what the heck he does with his time and how is he discharging his duties of protecting students and the University.

The Board of Trustees needs to commence an independent investigation into this matter ASAP. I spoke with a person last night who indicated the presence of these priests was well known to some staff, although not all of the details of why they were there. Moreover, this person suggested that staff members were assigned from time to time to provide administrative services to one or more of these priests. As a litigating attorney for more than 37 years, I can almost guarantee someone at GU knew who these criminals were and why they were there. I think this is a failure of moral leadership by the President and others at the University and it needs to be adressed without delay.

Frankly, I don’t believe the President of GU and his explanation lacks credibility. To believe it would mean to suspend reality. There were numerous new articles concerning the litigation over the Spokane Dioceses and the the attempt to reach Gonzaga University as an asset of the Oregon Province. To say he didn’t know there were 20 or more sexual abusers right under his nose stretches beyond belief. And if true, then it make you wonder what the heck he does with his time and how is he discharging his duties of protecting students and the University.

The Board of Trustees needs to commence an independent investigation into this matter ASAP. I spoke with a person last night who indicated the presence of these priests was well known to some staff, although not all of the details of why they were there. Moreover, this person suggested that staff members were assigned from time to time to provide administrative services to one or more of these priests. As a litigating attorney for more than 37 years, I can almost guarantee someone at GU knew who these criminals were and why they were there. I think this is a failure of moral leadership by the President and others at the University and it needs to be adressed without delay.

I do actually think it's possible that no one told McCulloh, and if so, they woudln't have told him because he likely would've raised a stink. The fact is that Bea House isn't affiliated with Gonzaga, and while Gonzaga is a Jesuit university, the Jesuit order does very little with regards to its actual governance these days. For me this story says more about the Western Province of the Jesuits than it does Gonzaga. Gonzaga is just caught up in it because of the actions of the Order.

Frankly, I don’t believe the President of GU and his explanation lacks credibility. To believe it would mean to suspend reality. There were numerous new articles concerning the litigation over the Spokane Dioceses and the the attempt to reach Gonzaga University as an asset of the Oregon Province.

I don't think the corporation of Gonzaga University is an asset of the Oregon Province, though the school's Mission Statement certainly refers to the continued influence of the Jesuits:

his document does not constitute a governing document of the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus, the Jesuit Conference, the Jesuit Community of Gonzaga University, or any other entity; it is instead an articulation of Gonzaga's Jesuit, Catholic and humanistic identity, created within an aspirational context that seeks to affirm and preserve that identity, and thereby continue to carry the name Jesuit: willingly sought by the University's Board of Trustees and willingly given by the Provincial of the Oregon Province on behalf of the Society of Jesus.

In order to sustain the University's Jesuit, Catholic, and humanistic identity the President will engage in regular dialogue with the Jesuit Provincial and the Bishop of Spokane. At the same time, this charge does not relieve the Board of its fundamental responsibility for ensuring that the University's mission is carried out.

On one hand the administration purports that allowing certain conservatives to speak on campus constitutes a risk to the student body, on the other hand they knowingly and quietly housed multiple sexual predators on campus.

On one hand the administration purports that allowing certain conservatives to speak on campus constitutes a risk to the student body, on the other hand they knowingly and quietly housed multiple sexual predators on campus.

To be very clear, this is not an administration thing, it's a Jesuit thing. The Jesuit Order not involved in the administration of Gonzaga, except in the cases of individual Jesuits who may have been hired for specific positions.

To be very clear, this is not an administration thing, it's a Jesuit thing. The Jesuit Order not involved in the administration of Gonzaga, except in the cases of individual Jesuits who may have been hired for specific positions.

I know that's the official stance, but I find it very, very difficult to believe. There is no way that the University-affiliated priests did not know what was taking place. Fr. Gary Uhlenkott was handled using the exact same protocol as Fr. Poole.

I know that's the official stance, but I find it very, very difficult to believe. There is no way that the University-affiliated priests did not know what was taking place. Fr. Gary Uhlenkott was handled using the exact same protocol as Fr. Poole.

I'm just saying that there's a difference between University-affiliated priests and the University administration itself. I'm skeptical about Fr. Case's claim that he didn't know. I'm much less skeptical about Thayne McCulloh not being told/not knowing. It's also important to note that even when Fr. Spitzer was the President of Gonzaga, he was under the authority of both the Jesuit Provincial and the superior there at Jesuit House. He ran the University, but had no authority whatsoever within the Order itself, except over those who were employed by Gonzaga.

I know that's the official stance, but I find it very, very difficult to believe. There is no way that the University-affiliated priests did not know what was taking place. Fr. Gary Uhlenkott was handled using the exact same protocol as Fr. Poole.

What exactly are you talking about? Fr. Poole wasn't an employee of Gonzaga University was he? Was he not a priest that was moved into Bea House based on the unfortunate policy of the Oregon Provence?

Fr. Uhlenkott on the other hand was an academic employed by Gonzaga who was very publicly arrested and prosecuted. Did the Oregon Provence subsequently move him into the Jesuit retirement home, I didn't hear about that?

What exactly are you talking about? Fr. Poole wasn't an employee of Gonzaga University was he? Was he not a priest that was moved into Bea House based on the unfortunate policy of the Oregon Provence?

Fr. Uhlenkott on the other hand was an academic employed by Gonzaga who was very publicly arrested and prosecuted. Did the Oregon Provence subsequently move him into the Jesuit retirement home, I didn't hear about that?

They sent them both to the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, California.